Workmen's advocate. (New Haven, Conn.) 1883-1891, 1887-10-22
THE RECORD FALSE
GIGANTIC CONSPIRACY TO
THROTTLE FREE SPEECH.
Prescriptions Of Guilt without Evi
dence-Weak Testimony Bol.
stored Up With Perjury.
Witnesses Bullied
and Bribed.

"Read the decision of the Su-
preme Court" says the Chicago
Tribune. "Read the opinions of
the court before you denounce
them"
Well, | have read it and re-read
it; conned it line by line and word
by word, and am therefore compe-
tent, and entitled to criticise it. Not
because | have so carefully read the
decision, however. Oh, mol But
because | also read, compared and
reviewed the testimony presented on
both sides of the case in Judge
Gary's court. | studied the case
with a view to teaching others, and,
therefore, | can understandlngly
pass judgment upon it.
The decision OF the Supreme Court
is in many respects a wonderful af-
fair; wonderful in it's assumptions of
guilt, its guesses as to the intent Of
the evidence. 1t abounds with such
expressions as "we think" "we as
sume," and other manifestations Of
existing doubt. 1t is also wonder
full in its diabolical purpose to mis-
lead honest, fair minded people;
wonderful in the degree of iniquity
which it proves men will sink to in
order to attain unholy ends. If read
by one who is not conversant with
the details of the case, or by per-
son reading of it for the first time,
the effect is to impress upon the
minds of the readers that the seven
men are surely guilty of conspiracy
and murder. Such an array of evi-
dence as is here set down could not
but convince the most keptical--if
it was true-that the verdict was a
just and an honest one. 1t is we'll
contrived to do its damnable work
of poisoning the minds of fair mind
ed but unthinking people with re-
gard to the condemned and their
cause.
But having read the decision | am
more than ever convinced of the in
nocence of the anarchists as to the
murder of Deegan, while my belief
in the existence of gigantic con-
spiracy to throttle free speech and en-
slave the workingmen of this coun-
try has been augmented until it now
amounts to certainty.
The working people of this coun-
try will one day, perhaps, when it is
too late-awaken from the fearful
lethargy into which they have fallen.
When they do they will discover,
built around them, a wall of imperi-
alism which it will cost thousands of
precious lives to batter down. There
is plenty of evidence to prove that
this conspiracy is already afoot, and
that the execution of the seven con-
victed men is one of the important
steps to be taken in furtherance of
the scheme. That accomplished,
and with the Merritt bill to prevent
further agitation, the rest will be
comparatively easy. Slowly but sure
ly the lines are being drawn; the
chains are being wound more tight
ly about the limbs of oppressed la
Dor; and soon-sooner than is gen.
orally believed the vaunted "rights"
of American citizens will be a thing
of the past. TO the initiated thou
sand events are transplrlng which
show the inevitable outcome.
When the anarchist case went to
the jury in August, 1886, there ex-
listed little doubt in the minds of
most people that there would be dis
agreement. The theories, the cal
umnies and the tricks of the prose-
cution had been thoroughly shown
up by Captain Black and his able
colleagues. Witnesses had been
browbeaten, bullied and bribed into
testifying against the eight men; but
the testimony of the witnesses for
the defense was overwhelming, not
Withstandinp the bullying of Grin